Game profile
Red Dead Redemption
An aging gunslinger is forced by the government to hunt down his former gang as the Wild West gives way to modern times. The 2023 rerelease brings this open world western classic to current consoles with light technical improvements.
Affiliate link. If you buy through it, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What kind of game this is
At its core this is Action / Adventure, set in a historical period. Visually it is going for realism, and the overall tone stays dark throughout. The world is open, so wandering off and ignoring the main path is part of the deal. It rewards long uninterrupted stretches more than quick check-ins.
The difficulty is moderate and fair, demanding attention without punishing you for it. The narrative carries the whole thing, and the mechanics serve it. It is a single player experience from start to finish. It is available broadly, on 5 platforms. It sits in the mid price bracket.
What stands out
- emotional western story
- huge open world
- iconic predecessor
This fits you if
- you want to live through a story, not just play a system
- exploring for its own sake is the point for you
- you can sit down for a proper long stretch without interruptions
- you like getting lost and ignoring the main objective for hours
- the writing matters more to you than the mechanics
- you play alone and want a complete experience without other people
Look elsewhere if
- you skip cutscenes and want to get to the gameplay
- you only ever get short bursts of play time
- you want something light and easy going
- you want to play it side by side with someone
How long is Red Dead Redemption?
About 40 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 7 weeks, or 20 sessions.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 87 out of 100, which puts it above 71 percent of the 1276 games here and at rank 339 overall. That is mid-table for this database. Not a standout at the top, but solidly rated.
For comparison, Action averages 83 points across the database, so this one sits 4 points above its own genre. The figure rests on a comparatively small number of ratings, so treat it as an indication rather than a verdict.
Released in 2023 and 3 years old. Recent enough to look and run modern, old enough to be patched and often discounted.
The facts
- Release year
- 2023
- Genres
- Action, Adventure
- Playtime
- approx. 40 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Moderate, fair
- Story weight
- Carries the whole game
- Play with
- Solo
- Setting
- Historical
- Visual style
- Realistic
- Price bracket
- Mid price
- Platforms
- PlayStation, Switch, Xbox, Mobile, PC
- Critic rating
- 87 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Dead Redemption | 2023 | approx. 40 hrs. | 87 | Mid price |
| The Blood of Dawnwalker | 2026 | approx. 45 hrs. | 83 | Full price |
| Ghost of Yōtei | 2025 | approx. 30 hrs. | 86 | Full price |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 2018 | approx. 65 hrs. | 94 | Mid price |
If you liked this, try these
- 83/100 The Blood of Dawnwalker Shared: Action, Adventure, Historical
- 86/100 Ghost of Yōtei Shared: Action, Adventure, Historical
- 94/100 Red Dead Redemption 2 Shared: Action, Adventure, Historical, longer
- 81/100 Shadow of the Tomb Raider Shared: Action, Adventure, Historical, shorter
- 92/100 Ghost of Tsushima Shared: Action, Adventure, Historical, rated higher
- 82/100 Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Shared: Action, Adventure, Historical, shorter